diy project: matt’s woven leather stool

I’ve been doing a fair amount of home cleaning lately, and I think when it’s all over, I’d like to reward myself with one of these beautiful woven leather stools. Matt, the immensely talented craftsman behind Wood and Faulk, created this versatile little stool with simple tools and a few raw materials. I love the luxurious, pale leather, and Matt recommends using Danish oil to help bring out the rich tones of the oak and leather, allowing the woven seat to change color over time. I can’t wait to see more incredible creations from Matt and am so excited to try this out for myself! — Kate

A small space necessitates smaller furniture. Whether you’re creating a small grouping of tables or need a side table or bench, this little piece can be quite versatile. Typically, this design would require more elaborate joinery methods to be strong enough, but by using pocket screws, you can create a svelte, sturdy frame with ease. — Matt

Materials

#6 carpet or upholstery tacks

strap material, leather or upholstery webbing

2 x 2 oak for legs

1 x 2 oak for stringers

pocket screws

Danish oil

Tools

pocket-screw guide

drill

saw

square

sandpaper

rags to apply finish

tack hammer

Instructions

1. Measure your leg height and mark the boards with a square. Perfectly square cuts will ensure you don’t create a wobbly bench. I cut mine at 15″. Next cut all your stringer boards. To make a rectangular bench, I cut four boards 18″ in length and four boards at 12″.

2. Drill all pocket-screw guide holes. You can find an inexpensive pocket guide at most hardware stores. I use a Kreg model. Clamp it to the board and drill all your holes.

3. After all boards are cut and drilled, sand them to a smooth finish. It’s much easier to sand now than after it’s assembled. Sanding to at least a 220 grit will give you a furniture-grade surface.

4. Now it’s time to assemble. I cut a couple 3/8″ pieces of scrap board to help position the stringers in the center of the leg pieces before attaching. I also used some scraps to uniformly space the lower stringers from the top. Now a complete side can be positioned on your work surface before driving all the screws. Assemble both complete ends, and then attach the two with your remaining stringer boards.

5. Now you have your complete frame and can apply finish. I love using Danish oil because it’s so easy to apply and has a beautiful look. Follow the instructions on the can, and make sure it’s completely dry before adding your straps.

6. I had a bunch of short leather 1 1/2-inch straps from a previous project, so it was the perfect choice for the woven top. Otherwise, you can use seat-belt webbing or upholstery straps. Cut your straps long enough to wrap completely around your boards. Using a tack hammer, attach all the long pieces first and then weave the remaining ones in and attach one by one. Because leather is such thick material, it’s necessary to have gaps between them so they can be woven. The thinner your strap material, the closer they can be woven.

7. DONE! I chose to leave the leather natural and used light, walnut-colored Danish oil, but any number of stains, finishes or waxes can be used to create yours.

I love this! So simple and stylish. Maybe I can convince my wood-worker boyfriend to make a couple of these for our new house. I’ve bought leather pieces for upholstery on ebay before…maybe I could find some of these straps there. Thanks for the how-to!

LOVE THIS! I wouldn’t recommened using pocket-hole joinery though… its cheap/quick/easy which is nice if you don’t mind the obvious holes. However, they do make plugs that you can glue into the holes, they’re a little less noticeable. I’m definitely going to make one of these but I’m going to go with dowel joinery because its even more sturdy and completely invisible! All you need is an inexpensive jig and dowels. THANKS!

This is an excellent idea – I think rather than buy leather straps I’ll start scouring the thrift stores for old leather belts. I also think that rather than build a new stool I might look for one (again, at the thrift store) that I can re-do. Yay! I just brought an old leather chesterfield home and have been looking for ways to incorporate leather in similar tones elsewhere in the room.

Could this be scaled up a little with affecting structural integrity? Like, to at least 23″ square? I’m thinking this would make a dog bed far, far nicer than the standard aluminium tubing and hessian sack that we currently have (I’m on an eternal quest for pet accessories that actually blend with our decor).

I love these stools, but the leather strips are a bit pricey, especially since I want to make two. Sourcing the leather from Tandy Leather, two would cost around $300! I think I’m going to explore using heavy rope and weaving in the same manner. I may try out hand dying the rope as well.

@Jennifer, If you’re really interested in making this, I buy half-hides for $100 and cut straps yourself. A half hide would be enough to make about 4 or more of this size at least… also, some leather shops have scrap bins that you can find great deals in.

What weight of leather straps did you use? Thinking about doing this to an old ash rocker for the seat and ottoman but am worried about the inevitable sag especially in the rocker’s seat. All I can find in straps is 8-9 oz leater, good for belts, but will it hold up for a seat?

This is a very cool idea. I do a lot of custom leather work and also wood work. I will have to make some of these as I have everything I need to make them on hand. I am also a Tandy Leather outlet so I would be able to help you get whatever leather you may need. If you have any questions you can contact me at: hardyoutdoorsman@yahoo.com

Design*Sponge reserves the right to restrict comments that do not contribute constructively to the conversation at hand, contain profanity, personal attacks, hate speech or seek to promote a personal or unrelated business. Our goal is to create a safe space where everyone (commenters, subjects of posts and moderators) feels comfortable to speak. Please treat others the way you would like to be treated and be willing to take responsibility for the impact your words may have on others. Disagreement, differences of opinion and heated discussion are welcome, but comments that do not seek to have a mature and constructive dialogue will not be published. We moderate all comments with great care and do not delete any lightly. Please note that our team (writers, moderators and guests) deserve the same right to speak and respond as you do, and your comments may be responded to or disagreed with. These guidelines help us maintain a safe space and work toward our goal of connecting with and learning from each other.